


Autumn Cold

by sarahgirl1998



Category: Happy Tree Friends
Genre: Breakfast, Comedy, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Friendship, Gen, Humor, Illnesses, Sick Character, Sickfic, Sneezing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-05
Updated: 2019-08-05
Packaged: 2020-08-19 23:48:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20218291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sarahgirl1998/pseuds/sarahgirl1998
Summary: In the forest where the Happy Tree Friends live, autumn is a season of relaxation and beauty. Sniffles doesn't want anything more than to enjoy the season with his friend Lumpy. But that might not be the easiest thing to do, what with Lumpy's recent case of the sneezes...Has he come down with his first cold of the fall? Either way, there's no way Sniffles will let that interfere with their time together.





	Autumn Cold

It was a chilly morning in the forest where the Happy Tree Friends lived. Lumpy was at the bus stop, waiting for the bus to arrive. This morning, he was going to the cafe for breakfast.

As he sat on the bench and watched for the bus, Lumpy shivered and shook. It was the beginning of autumn, and the temperature had gone down into the fifties, making it quite cold. To prevent himself from freezing, Lumpy had a red scarf wrapped around his neck. Even now, however, it probably wasn’t enough to keep him warm.

The bus arrived, and Lumpy sat up in happiness. The bus doors opened, and Lumpy stepped in, giving the driver some money as he did so. He then went over to one of the seats and sat down, and before long, the bus doors were closed. The bus pulled away from the stop as it headed to the next one.

Although Lumpy was glad that he was out of the cold outdoors, he found that the insides of the bus weren’t too much better. The seat he was sitting on felt cold on his bottom, but he had to deal with it as best as he could. Lumpy continued to shiver as he hugged himself for warmth.

A small, barely noticeable drop of mucus began to ooze out of Lumpy’s nostril. As if sensing it, Lumpy sniffled to send it back up. As soon as it made it in, however, it just oozed back out. Lumpy gave another sniffle, then rubbed underneath his nose with the side of his hand.

“Ugh... why’s my nose running?” Lumpy muttered to himself.

He continued to rub his nose for a few seconds, but the mucus simply continued oozing out. He sniffled a couple more times, but that didn’t do much to help, either. Lumpy reached into his pocket, pulled out a tissue and rubbed it underneath his nose, wiping off the mucus. His nose didn’t stop running, however.

Finally, the bus made it to the cafe. Lumpy stood up, thanked the bus driver, and stepped off of the bus. When Lumpy made it back outside, however, the chills worsened, causing him to sneeze.

“Haaaah... Tchoooo!!” Lumpy doubled over as he sneezed into his tissue. The sneeze felt forceful, but he could still feel his nose running. Lumpy briefly pulled the tissue away from his nose as he rubbed under his nostrils with his forefinger. “Ugh...”

Lumpy blew his nose into his tissue, trying to clear it of the mucus that had been attempting to drip out, and then wiped his nostrils with it. He was feeling a bit better, although he wasn’t 100% satisfied. Despite this, Lumpy threw away his tissue and walked into the cafe.

There was at least one Tree Friend or Generic Tree Friend at each of the available tables, all of them enjoying their breakfasts. Lumpy went up the waitress, a female Generic Tree Friend.

“Good morning, sir,” said the Tree Friend politely. “May I take your order?”

Lumpy smiled. “Yes, I’d like some waffles with a side of bacon and a cup of coffee, please.”

“Excellent choice!” the Tree Friend replied. “Would you like butter or syrup on your waffles?”

“Both, please.” Lumpy placed his hand under his nose and rubbed it a little. “It’ll charge me a little more, but it’s worth it.“

“Okay, coming right up!” The waitress walked away to fulfill Lumpy’s order.

Now that Lumpy was finished ordering his breakfast, all he had to do now was find a place to sit. Luckily, he found Sniffles sitting at a table with a plate of pancakes, and chewing a piece of one of them. Sniffles was wearing a green scarf because of the cold weather outside. Lumpy smiled and walked up to him.

“Good morning, Sniffles,” said Lumpy.

“Hm?” Sniffles swallowed, then looked at Lumpy and smiled happily. “Oh, hi, Lumpy! You decided to get breakfast here, too?”

“Yeah, I did. You don’t mind if I sit with you, do you?” Lumpy asked.

“Of course I don’t! Go on ahead.”

Lumpy sat down at the table, on the opposite side of Sniffles.

“Thanks.”

“Oh, you’re welcome,“ said Sniffles. “Have you noticed that fall has finally come to our forest?”

“Yeah.” Lumpy gave a brief sniffle. “It’s pretty, isn’t it?”

“It sure is,” Sniffles replied. “I love waking up to frosty windows, seeing the leaves change color, and helping myself to a nice, warm meal at this cafe.”

Sniffles picked up a cup that was filled with steaming tea, and took a sip. As he did so, however, he heard Lumpy inhaling, as if he needed to sneeze.

“Aaah... hehh...” Sniffles put down his cup just in time to see Lumpy sneezing into his hand. “Heeehhh-chiuuuuu!”

“Bless you,” said Sniffles as Lumpy rubbed his nose with his forefinger.

“Thanks. And excuse me.” Lumpy sniffled rather loudly as he kept his forefinger underneath his nose.

“Looks like the chills are getting to you, huh, Lumpy?” Sniffles asked.

“Well, I am pretty cold...” Lumpy finished rubbing his nose. Just then, the Generic Tree Friend Lumpy had talked to arrived with everything he’d requested.

“Waffles, bacon and coffee for Lumpy?” She placed the plate and coffee cup on the table for Lumpy.

“Thank you,” Lumpy told the waitress before she walked away.

Lumpy picked up a knife and fork, cut a small piece off of one of his waffles, and then took it into his mouth. The taste made him smile as he chewed, and then swallowed.

As Sniffles and Lumpy ate their breakfasts, Sniffles kept his eyes on Lumpy. While eating, Lumpy sniffled a few times, and occasionally brought a hand or arm up to rub his nose. And by the time all of his waffles had been finished - which was coincidentally when Sniffles had finished all of his pancakes and tea - Lumpy’s nose had turned a pale red. Sniffles couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.

“Wait a minute...”

Having finished his bacon as well as his coffee, Lumpy wiped the excess syrup and waffle crumbs off of his mouth with a napkin, but then his nostrils began to flare slightly. Lumpy balled up his used napkin, pulled out another one from the little gadget on the table, and covered his nose with it.

“Ahhh-ktchooooooooo!” Although the sneeze was held out for a few seconds, it was mild and contained no mucus. That being said, Lumpy blew his nose quietly into the napkin, then sniffled a few times as he wiped his nose with it.

“Lumpy?” Sniffles asked in worry. “Are you feeling alright?”

“Actually, Sdiffles...” Lumpy replied with a stuffy voice. “I dod’t feel so good.” Another loud sniffle.

“Your nose looks a bit red,” Sniffles commented.

“It does?” Lumpy put down his napkin and rubbed his nose with his forefinger. “I bust be catchidg a code.”

“Oh, Lumpy...” Sniffles said in sympathy. ”I’m so sorry. How would you like to come to my house so I can take care of you?”

“That soudds like a good idea.” Lumpy sniffled again. “But first, I gotta pay for by breakfast.”

He pulled out his wallet, but before he could look through it, Sniffles took out his own wallet.

“I’ll pay for you.” Sniffles took out a $20 bill. “It wouldn’t do for that nice waitress or any workers here to catch your cold.”

“Oh, okay.” Lumpy put his wallet away. “That’s a good poidt.”

The waitress from earlier returned to the table and placed a bill on it. Sniffles read it, then handed her the $20. The waitress gave him a couple of quarters and a penny in response, which Sniffles put in his change purse. Then he and Lumpy stood up and walked away from their table.

“Thank you for coming, we hope you return soon!” said the waitress, before she proceeded to clear the table.

As Sniffles and Lumpy walked outside, Lumpy felt another tickle in his nose. He stopped in his tracks and tilted his neck back, about to sneeze.

“Aaah... Haaaaah... HaaaaaaaaAAAAAHHHHHHH-CHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!”

That sneeze was particularly bigger, louder and messier than most of the sneezes he’d let out earlier today. By the time he’d finished letting it out, his nose had turned a deeper shade of red. Lumpy rubbed his runny nose with his forefinger, sniffling loudly.

“Gesundheit,” said Sniffles. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a tissue and handed it to Lumpy.

Lumpy blew his nose again, this time for quite a few seconds, and then wiped his nose with the tissue.

“Ugh... th-thadk you...” said Lumpy.

“Don’t worry, Lumpy,” Sniffles said. “I’ll take good care of you when we get to my house. I promise.”

Lumpy and Sniffles then continued on their way, with Lumpy still sniffling and wiping his nose at least a few times a minute. Sniffles couldn’t help but keep looking at him out of concern.

When they finally made it to Sniffles’ house, Sniffles opened the front door for Lumpy. Lumpy slowly trudged in, went over to the couch and sat down on it. His nose was still red and dripping with small amounts of mucus.

“Sdiffles?” Lumpy asked with a sniffle. “Do you have a hadkerchief?”

Sniffles smiled as he reached over and picked up a freshly cleaned handkerchief. He brought it over to Lumpy and gave him the handkerchief, but before he could thank him, he gave another loud sneeze without warning. He made sure to cover his nose with the hanky, however.

“HEEEEETCHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!”

“Ugh...” Lumpy blew his nose slightly into the white handkerchief, then wiped his nose repeatedly. “Th-thadk you.”

“You’re welcome, Lumpy. And Gesundheit,” replied Sniffles.

Sniffles then walked out of the room to retrieve a thermometer for Lumpy. As the sick moose waited, he sniffled a few times as he continued to wipe his nose. He was feeling a lot worse compared to this morning; perhaps he had caught a cold after all.

Finally, Sniffles returned to Lumpy with a digital thermometer in his hand. He placed the end of the thermometer under Lumpy’s tongue, and they waited for his temperature to be taken. Lumpy gave his used hanky back to Sniffles, who placed it in the laundry hamper before picking up another clean handkerchief out of the many he had.

Lumpy’s nose had started to leak with more mucus, but Sniffles held his handkerchief against Lumpy’s nostrils and wiped it away. By the time his nose had been cleaned off, the thermometer had begun to beep repeatedly, indicating it had finished. Sniffles pulled it out and looked at the reading.

“Yep. It’s a fever of a hundred and one,” said Sniffles. “You’re right, Lumpy, you’ve caught cold.”

Lumpy looked at him sadly, and then hugged his upper body as he shivered. Sniffles, knowing what he wanted, picked up a large, red blanket and wrapped it around Lumpy’s body. Lumpy stopped shivering, but still felt chilly.

“Ugh... H-haaaah...” Lumpy suddenly inhaled, feeling a sneeze coming on. “Ah... Aaaaaah...” Lumpy’s snout quivered and nostrils flared rapidly. Sniffles placed his handkerchief over Lumpy’s nostrils, and Lumpy sneezed right into it. “HAAAAATSHUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!”

Lumpy doubled over as the force of his sneeze caused the edges of the handkerchief to flutter. Sniffles removed it from his nose, and then Lumpy rubbed underneath his nostrils with his forefinger.

“Gesundheit,” said Sniffles.

“Thadks,” said Lumpy, still rubbing his nose. “I thidk I deed a box of tissues...”

Sniffles smiled, picked up a light blue box of tissues and placed it by Lumpy’s side for him. Lumpy took a tissue and blew his nose into it, holding the tissue with both hands as he did so. With that one forceful blow, his nose temporarily stopped running. With a smile of relief, Lumpy wiped his nose with the tissue, holding it with one hand.

“Feeling better?” Sniffles asked, and Lumpy nodded, although he wasn’t sure it was true. “If you get hungry again, I’ll make you some chicken soup.”

“That soudds like a good idea,” said Lumpy. He balled up his tissue and put it aside. Suddenly, his nostrils flared up again, and his eyelids twitched slightly. “Uh, Sdiffles? I’b godda sdeeze...”

“I know.” Sniffles giggled to himself in anticipation.

“Aaah... Hahhh... HAAAAH--“ Lumpy pulled out a tissue, tilted his neck back, and then released three quick sneezes into his tissue. “Haaahchuu! Htchiuuu! Aaaah... Aaaah-choo!”

“Bless you, Lumpy,” said Sniffles.

Lumpy wiped his nose with his tissue, sniffling a few times. “Excuse be.” He then balled up the tissue and placed it aside before rubbing his nose gently with his forefinger.

“Hehehe!” Sniffles giggled at how cute Lumpy looked when he did that.

“Uh, Sdiffles?” Lumpy asked, getting his attention. “By dose is a little stuffy. Would you please start bakidg by soup?”

“Of course,” said Sniffles. “But first, I’ll get you a bottle of water. The more liquids you drink, the better.”

Sniffles then walked out of the room for a moment, returned with a cold bottle of water, and then headed into the kitchen to make Lumpy’s soup.

As Lumpy stayed on the couch, he opened the bottle and drank some of the water inside. It brought some relief to his dry, sore throat, although he was pretty sure it wouldn’t last. That being said, Lumpy was going to make the most of his cold.

As Lumpy waited for his chicken noodle soup, he sniffled and rubbed his nose a few times. Sometimes he sneezed, but he tried his best to keep them from getting too loud, so that Sniffles wouldn’t overhear. And after every sneeze, Lumpy rubbed or wiped his nose, whether it be with his forefinger or a tissue. But true to Sniffles' advice, he drank some more of his water whenever his throat started aching again.

Finally, Sniffles came back into the kitchen with a tray that held a bowl of chicken soup. He placed it on Lumpy’s lap while Lumpy smiled gratefully and pulled the blanket off of his body. Picking up the spoon, Lumpy dipped it into the soup and took it into his mouth. It tasted good, and he kept eating it as Sniffles watched.

After about five minutes, the bowl was empty, and Lumpy gave the tray back to Sniffles.

“Thadks, Sdiffles. It was really good...” Lumpy sniffled.

Sniffles smiled at him. “I’m glad you liked it.”

“Haaah-chewww!” Lumpy suddenly sneezed again, then took a tissue and wiped his nose with it.

“Hehehe!” Sniffles giggled in adoration. “Bless you~!”

“Thadk you...” Lumpy continued to wipe his nose with his tissue, and then balled it up and placed it aside. Just then, he felt a bit sleepy, so he lay his head down on one arm of the couch.

“Aww. Does somebody need a nap?” Sniffles asked.

Lumpy gave a deep yawn into his hand. It took him almost five seconds before he could answer Sniffles' question. “Yeah.”

Sniffles smiled, picked up a soft pillow, and placed it behind Lumpy’s head. He pressed his hands against it to fluff it up.

“I’ll let you sleep for as long as you need to,” said Sniffles. “But I have to admit... I was kind of hoping you’d let me tickle you.”

Lumpy smiled. “Oh, I’b sorry. It’s dot too late, though.”

He pointed to his feet, letting Sniffles know that was where he wanted to be tickled. Sniffles moved to the other side of Lumpy, held his ankle with one hand, and then tickled Lumpy’s sole with his forefinger.

“Hahahahaha!” Lumpy laughed, wiggling his toes a little. “Haha, hahahaha!”

Sniffles giggled to himself and tickled one of Lumpy’s toes as well.

“Hahahahahahahaha!!” Lumpy laughed a bit more, then pulled his foot away from Sniffles as he blushed. “Be careful, please, I’d rather be tickled really gently udtil I feel better.”

“Oh, okay. Sorry, Lumpy...” Sniffles went back up to Lumpy, then placed his hand on his belly and rubbed it gently. Lumpy only giggled with his mouth closed, however, so Sniffles switched to tickling his belly with his forefinger.

“Hahahahahaha!” Lumpy started laughing again, to Sniffles’ happiness.

Sniffles continued tickling Lumpy for a few seconds, moving his finger all over his tummy, occasionally inserting it into his belly button, and listening to his laughter the entire time. Before finishing, Sniffles stroked the very bottom of Lumpy’s tummy with his finger, which tickled him even more.

“Tickle, tickle~!” said Sniffles, playfully.

“Hahahahahahahahaha, it tickles! Hahahahahahaha!” Lumpy replied.

Finally, Sniffles stopped tickling Lumpy and pulled his finger away from his belly. Lumpy lay there, panting a few times and smiling blissfully.

“That... that was fun...” Lumpy managed to say.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it. I did, too.” Sniffles giggled to himself, then picked up Lumpy’s blanket and placed it over his body.

“Thadk you so, so buch for takidg care of be, Sdiffles,” said Lumpy as Sniffles tucked him in.

“You’re welcome, Lumpy,” Sniffles replied. “If there’s anything else you’d like, all you have to do is tell me.”

Lumpy yawned again, but just as it finished, he sneezed again. “Haah-chu!”

Sniffles couldn’t help but giggle as Lumpy rubbed his nose with his forefinger.

“Bless you, Lumpy.” Sniffles took a tissue and handed it to Lumpy, who blew his nose one more time.

“Thadk you.” Lumpy wiped his nose, then handed the tissue back to Sniffles. Sniffles balled up the tissue and threw it away before looking back at Lumpy.

“You have a good nap, Lumpy,” said Sniffles.

Lumpy smiled in response, and then his eyelids fell closed as he fell asleep. Sniffles smiled and slowly tiptoed out of the living room.

After Sniffles went to the bathroom to wash his hands, he made a plan to fix up a potion that would improve his immune system, and lessen his chances of getting sick. Besides, he could simply cure the cold with a potion, but it was worth it to hear Lumpy’s sneezes, bless him and bring him whatever he wanted or needed. And if he wanted to make sure Lumpy got better with tender loving care, Sniffles would do whatever he could to keep himself from catching his cold.

Not that it would be too much of an issue; Sniffles already had a cold-curing potion ready in his lab, anyway.


End file.
